Pakistan may not be the top dogs when it comes to fielding but they can surprise you once in a while. The first semi-final of Champions Trophy 2017 boasted of one such rare moment of brilliant fielding from the Green Army amidst their traditional fielding blunders.
Fakhar Zaman took a splendid catch to dismiss Moeen Ali on Junaid Khan's bowling which once again exposed Ali's vulnerability to the short ball.
In the third ball of the 39th over, Junaid Khan delivered a short length ball which kissed the top edge of Moeen's bat as pull shot sent the ball to the deep backward square leg. It was expected to land safely but Zaman had already started sprinting towards the ball. Keeping an eye on it, he perfectly timed his stretch and took a magnificent catch. The ball remained in his hands even when he plunged into the ground.
Watch the video of the catch here
Pakistan fielders dropped two catches earlier in the game but displayed a good comeback with some of their fielding instances. Ahmed Shehzad dismissed Adil Rashid with a direct-hit at the bowler's end. A couple of overs later, Shoaib Malik and Babar Azam teamed up to prevent Jake Ball from scoring a boundary, thereby displaying fielding in its finest form.
Ball's unsuccessful attempt to pull a shot caused Mark Wood to lose his wicket in the very next delivery. Sarfraz Ahmed grabbed the ball and made an accurate hit at the stumps on the striker's end long before Wood could make it to the crease.
England were bowled out for 211 in 49.9 overs and Pakistan are well on their way to a successful run chase to reserve their spot in the Finals.
Pakistan surely lived up to their title of ‘a team filled with surprises’. Witnessing the Pakistan fielders accurately judging the ball, diving for them, saving boundaries and taking catches definitely took everyone by surprise. Despite a couple of their fielding debacles, the Green Army deserve praise for their incredible fielding towards the end of the game.
If Pakistan defeat England in this game, an India vs Pakistan encounter, the first in the finals of the Champions Trophy, could be on the cards thereby adding more thrill to one of the most anticipated rivalries in cricket. If Pakistan manage to win the final, they will also move to the seventh rank in the ICC ODI rankings.
It will be an interesting show from here on as the unpredictability quotient of the gentleman's game is at its peak towards the conclusion of the tournament.
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